In the Still of the Night

Chapter 3: It's Been a Long, Long Time

Steve didn't go back to the Smithsonian the next day. Or the day after that. Or the day after that. In fact, he realized that it had been nearly a week since he had last gone to the museum. He had been busy actually - he had left the state to track down a possible lead on the Winter Soldier in Connecticut, but after days of searching it turned into a wild goose chase. He kept telling himself that him being busy was why he put off going to the museum. It wasn't that he was afraid to go back and talk to Vera...No of course not...He kept telling himself it was because he was busy...

It was Sam who eventually brought him back to reason.

"Been to the museum lately?" Sam had asked Steve one day, the ghost of a sly grin on his face. Steve was sitting on the couch typing away at his laptop as Sam cooked breakfast in the kitchen.

"Uh...not really," replied Steve, not even looking away from the screen of his laptop. Sam had been doggedly asking him about what happened at the museum that day and Steve wouldn't tell him. If Sam was going to play games with him, he'd play them right back. He'd play innocent, since Sam didn't know about Vera. And frankly, he didn't want Sam to know right now and risk never hearing the end of it until he asked Vera out or something. Steve wanted to take things at his own pace. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I don't know," Sam returned, playing along. "Just curious."

"Mm-hmm."

"You just...seemed to really enjoy your last visit."

"Really."

"Oh come on, Steve," said Sam, exasperated. Steve glanced up at him. "Look, something's up with you and I don't know exactly what it is - although I have my suspicions," he added with a wink, making Steve roll his eyes.

"Sam -"

"Just don't intentionally screw yourself over, okay?" Sam implored.

Steve blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, don't ruin something for yourself that could make you happy. I've seen how distracted you've been this past week. You're worried about something. Maybe you're afraid to go back there, I don't know." Steve averted Sam's eyes. "But whatever it is you're worried about or afraid of, don't be. The best things in life won't be handed to you on a silver platter."

It sounded so simple when it came from Sam. He had a way of wording things that just made sense. Steve sighed.

"Maybe you're right..."

"Of course I'm right," said Sam. "I'm always right."

Steve threw a couch pillow at him.

It was one of those days that felt like it was going to be a long day, and Vera knew this because the past several days had been like this, too. Piles of paperwork, phone constantly ringing, hardly a moment's break for nearly a week now. But between all of that busy work, Vera kept waiting...and hoping...for when Steve would come back again.

Sure, she had only met him once and hardly knew the guy, but she couldn't deny that she felt something between them...And he had said he'd visit again. Okay, Vera thought he meant in a few days...not a week. Was he even coming back at all? Maybe he was one of those guys that was just flirting with her because he flirts with every girl. And she was stupid and naïve enough to believe that he had meant it when he said he would come back.

And yet...he hadn't seemed like one of those guys. He had seemed legitimately nice and interested in what he had to say. He had been a little weird at first, but she had kind of barged into his moment of deep thought when she bombarded him with all those facts about Captain America...

Vera groaned and rubbed her eyes, resting her elbows on her desk in her small office. She felt like an idiot looking back on that day; why did she have to just butt in to his personal moment like that? Was she that desperate to meet someone? But then again...it did lead to her actually meeting someone...Someone who was kind, honest, and, dare she say it, pretty damn good-looking. Maybe she shouldn't give up hope just yet...

"Miss Rochester?"

Vera straightened up, pretending she hadn't just been slumped over in a self-pitied stupor. She sighed. "I keep telling you, Michael, you don't have to keep calling me 'Miss Rochester.' Just because you're an intern doesn't mean you have to call everyone 'miss' or 'mister.'"

"Sorry," the young intern said meekly.

"It's alright," Vera said with a genuine smile to show the poor intern she wasn't mad at him. "So what did you need me for?"

"Oh! Right," said Michael, shuffling through the papers in the clipboard he was holding. "There's someone in the main atrium who was asking for you...uh..." He held up a little piece of paper with a scribbled note on it. "Steve something?"

"Steve?" Vera jumped up suddenly - a little more enthusiastically than she had planned - and hastily said, "Thanks, Michael. I'll see you later!"

She tried hard not to run to the atrium, but fast-walked gracefully as she passed by her coworkers and other people that knew her.

Once she got to the main atrium, she scanned her eyes across the Saturday afternoon crowd to find Steve. She almost missed him but eventually saw him standing in the midst of the crowd, wearing the same baseball cap he wore last time. This time, however, he wasn't wearing a t-shirt and cargo pants but a red plaid shirt and dark blue jeans. He's pretty good at blending in, she observed. Vera approached him and Steve flashed her a guilty little smile when he saw her.

"Hey," he said shyly.

"Hey," she responded.

There was a moment of awkward silence when Vera waited for Steve to say something and Steve waited for Vera to say something.

"So...um...how are you?" Steve finally asked. Vera couldn't help but be a little miffed when he asked that. You've been MIA for a week and all you can say is 'how are you?'

"I'm alright," said Vera, masking her disappointment. "I trust you've been well too?"

Her tone was a little more accusatory than she had intended, but Steve merely smiled back.

"Not really. I've been busy."

"Me too," Vera replied coolly, raising her eyebrows.

"My line of work tends to make me...go away for a while sometimes," Steve explained mysteriously.

"And your line of work would be...?"

"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

Vera laughed. She had forgotten just how very blue Steve's eyes were. "Fair enough."

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't come back sooner," Steve said, abandoning all pretense. "I know it's no excuse to say I was busy, but -"

"It's alright," assured Vera. "Really. I understand, people get busy."

"Truly?"

Vera nodded. "Truly."

Steve flashed her a knee-weakening smile. Despite her annoyance with him, Vera really had missed him. But wait - wasn't this only the second time they were meeting? I barely even know the guy and I missed him? she realized. I feel like I've known him for weeks...Maybe I really am desperate.

"Miss Roch - I mean, Vera?"

The intern appeared suddenly and approached the pair. Vera sighed. "Yes, what is it, Michael?"

"Um, Mr. Gray wants to know if you turned in the prospective recommendations for the exhibit expansion?"

"Oh, right, I forgot about that..." Vera mumbled, and then glanced over at Steve out of the corner of her eye. "Um...just let him know that I'll send it over as soon as I can, okay, Michael?"

"Alright," said Michael, scribbling away at his clipboard and leaving without another word.

Vera turned back to Steve. "I'm so sorry, Steve," she said, disappointed, "but it looks like I'm going to have to..."

"I understand," Steve said. A twinkle came to his eye. "You're busy."

Vera couldn't help but grin at that.

"I'll come back soon," Steve said. Vera gave him a look and he added, "I promise it won't be a week from now."

"It'll just be six days from now then, instead of seven?" Vera asked and Steve laughed. "Look, why don't you come back at a time when I'm not swamped with work? Come by the museum right as it's closing, I'll be free by then."

"Sounds good," Steve said happily.

"And if I'm feeling generous that day, I might even give you a tour after hours," she offered, smiling.

"After hours?" asked Steve slowly, reddening a bit.

Vera was confused for a moment, then laughed nervously. "I-I didn't mean that kind of 'after hours.' I meant I can show you some artifacts and things we keep away from the public eye. You know, the perks of knowing someone who works for a museum?"

"Ah," said Steve, rubbing the back of his neck. "Good."

"Here, um..." Vera reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled receipt. She pulled a pen from the pocket on her blazer and wrote a series of numbers on the paper, handing it to Steve. "Here's my number. Text me yours, and then I'll text you what time I get off work, okay?"

"Okay," Steve said, taking the paper and looking at it with an almost triumphant look on his face.

"Well...I really should be going," said Vera, feeling within her a sad longing to keep talking to him. "See you soon, okay?"

"Okay," Steve replied, and Vera started to walk away but Steve stopped her by saying, "Wait! You didn't say which day I should swing by 'after hours.'"

Vera grinned, staring into those blue eyes. "Surprise me."

She walked away confidently and gracefully, while inside she was jumping up and down and dancing with excitement.